


caught in the rain

by Thebloomaster



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Caretaking, College, College AU, Coughing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fever, M/M, Naked Cuddling, Nothing explicit, Post-Canon Fix-It, Sick Character, Sickfic, Sneezing, They shower together, atem has his own body, i guess lol, showering, sick!yugi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:47:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26703940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thebloomaster/pseuds/Thebloomaster
Summary: Yugi gets sick and struggles through his classes. He's soaking wet from the rain and he's exhausted. All he wants is to go home to Atem and sleep. Atem takes care of him.Kind of sequel to running in the rain. (works as a standalone) Sorry for the clichéd titles lol.blindshipping/puzzleshipping
Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi, Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi, Puzzleshipping - Relationship, blindshipping - Relationship
Comments: 13
Kudos: 62





	caught in the rain

**Author's Note:**

> I...love sickfics.

Yugi muffles a cough into his hoodie. He hasn’t retained a single word of the lecture. He hadn’t felt overtly ill in the morning; it’d just been a tender spot in his throat, a sniffle...maybe a hint of a headache. He was prone to these symptoms anyway. Now, only six hours later was he unable to breathe through his nose—and to breathe without triggering a coughing fit in general. It didn’t help that he was sitting in the back of a drafty lecture hall while damp from the weather. 

He sniffles. Now instead of having his nasal passages completely blocked, his nose is running. He hadn’t thought that he’d need to bring tissues when he’d left the house. His one small handkerchief is completely soaked through and sits in his pocket. He tries to subtly dab and rub at his nose with the upper portion of his sleeve. It’s gross, unsanitary, and ineffective—but it’s his only option. There’s a visible damp spot on the fabric, and he cringes. Hopefully nobody saw that.

Yugi sneezes, doing his best to stay as silent as he can. It causes his fit to last longer, and by the end of it his eyes are watering. He’s aware that a few of his classmates are staring at him. His face grows hot as he sniffles again. He fidgets in his seat and scribbles down notes. Every movement is lethargic, but each motion keeps him from completely falling asleep. It’s too cold in this room. The lecturer is too quiet for him to focus on, and a few students are whispering. 

He considers asking around for a tissue, but he’s too afraid to disrupt the lecture and to draw unnecessary attention to himself. _How much time is left?_

It feels like an eternity has passed since he’s sat down. But finally the class has ended and he puts his notebook away.

It’s still raining outside, but at least he’d brought his umbrella—which he’d promptly lost in the dining hall when he tried to get tea to soothe his throat. He trudges over to the bus stop, doing his best to avoid the puddles. 

He’s sore and shaky, and all he wants is to be in his bed. He breaks off coughing again as he stands at the bus stop. His hair is matted down, sticking to his face and neck. The rain has permeated through his clothes. At this point he can’t tell if his nose is running or if it’s just rain streaming down his face. Of course the bus chose to be late today. He shivers and tries to avoid eye contact with the other bystanders. 

When he finally gets into his seat, he puts his head in his hands. Chills send him shivering, and he knows he has at least a half hour of sitting in his wet clothes before he can be at home. He sighs and a few coughs latch onto the end of his breath. Atem will be upset to see that he’s fallen ill after all. Part of him wants to remove the extra layer, but the idea of taking it off makes him shiver. 

After he settles into his seat, he puts his earbuds in and leans back. He sits there shuddering, teeth chattering against his will. Even his feet are wet—his tennis shoes are drenched. He catches a glimpse of his reflection in the window. His nose is chapped from pawing at it with his sleeve. There’s a tickle and then a burning in his nostril. His eyelashes flutter and he presses his sleeve to his face again. The fact that his nose is running adds a layer of fear. So he keeps trying to rub it away—surely it can wait five minutes. 

It can’t. 

“Heh’ _NDTshh!...uhh._ _MP_ kshh!” He sneezes into his damp sleeve. His nose is running again despite his best efforts to keep everything contained, so he just leaves his sleeve glued to the underside of his nostrils for the rest of the ride. The idea of asking around for tissues resurfaces, but he’s too embarrassed to move. He sits there fighting the urge to sneeze again, his eyes watering.

He focuses on his music, it’s an upbeat song in comparison to the gloomy day and the way it’s affecting Yugi. He gazes out the window and thinks of Atem.

Finally the bus halts at Yugi’s stop. He nearly falters on his way down the stairs, but regains his balance. The rain is still pouring, and now it looks like Yugi had attempted to bathe in his clothes. The walk to the game shop is only a few blocks, but it feels as if he’d been walking for hours in the rain before he gets home. At the very least, he’s grateful that it’s a Friday. 

Yugi opens the door and moves to take off his shoes. “I’m home!” He greets, though it comes out as unintelligible through his congestion. To his surprise, Atem is in his blind spot and responds.

“I see.” He moves from behind the counter to approach his partner. “You’re drenched, Aibou. I thought you brought your umbrella.”

Yugi sniffles, his sleeve is pressed to his nose still. He starts to tell his partner about how he had lost it, but breaks off coughing. Frowning, Atem moves to rub Yugi’s back.

“Ah, I did get you sick after all.” Atem murmurs. He plants a kiss on Yugi’s wet hair. “I’m sorry.”

Yugi shakes his head and sniffles hard. “It’s okay, I probably look a lot worse than I am.” He stands there for a moment before finally removing his hoodie. He shivers as his skin is exposed to the air. What he really wants is to throw himself on the floor and sleep. “I think I’ll take a shower.” He says instead. Still shivering, Yugi begins to walk towards the bathroom and lurches, whether it’s from dizziness or fatigue, Yugi is too tired to tell. Atem’s hands steady him.

“Let me join you.” Atem says, his fingertips caress Yugi’s cheek. They feel cold. Yugi shivers again and nods, too tired to argue. Atem adds “You’re warm, Yugi.”

Yugi nods, he’s not surprised a fever has developed. Atem breaks away to flip the Open sign to Closed. “Your grandpa said that we can close early today anyway because of the weather,” he explains. 

Yugi nods again. Atem guides him to the bathroom. His head pounds with every step. He doesn’t really need to lean on Atem, but he’s so tired that it feels nice. It’s fairly quiet between them.

Yugi pulls a few tissues from the box and finally blows his nose which has become unbearably sore and chapped. It’s a relief in that he can breathe without fearing his nose will drip, but it only irritates the sensitive skin more. Yugi sneezes again as the water runs. His head pounds despite the fact that he hadn’t even stifled that one. Atem kisses his forehead, apologizing again.

“Don’t be.” Yugi says, “I told you I don’t mind.” Atem sighs and helps Yugi pull off his damp shirt. He removes his own and finally they’re both undressed. Yugi tests the water with his hand, and steps in. Atem stands in front of him and begins massaging his partner’s hair. Yugi exhales, leaning into his partner’s shoulder. Their chests are pressed together. Yugi turns his head to cough loosely. Atem holds Yugi in an embrace, one hand traces up and down Yugi’s back. The tension in his shoulders releases.

Without saying anything, Atem slowly begins massaging shampoo into Yugi’s hair. Yugi almost moans at how good it feels. After such a long day, his boyfriend’s tenderness was a godsend. He closes his eyes as Atem rinses the suds out, gently squeezing portions of his hair. Yugi’s nostrils flare as an itch intensifies. His arms are tangled under Atem’s and he can’t rub it fast enough to quell it. He can’t even give much of a warning before he stifles a sneeze, probably misting Atem’s shoulder. 

“Bless you.” Atem says over Yugi’s apology. 

Yugi nods, blushing slightly. He almost rolls his eyes as he feels that he’s about to sneeze again. It’s getting exhausting. Atem seems to pick up on this too, as he moves his hands away from Yugi’s hair, giving him room to move. 

“Huh’ _ETSHhh!_ ” He manages to turn away this time, but as he jerks from the force of the paroxysm, he’s losing his balance. He grabs for Atem’s shoulder and steadies himself, before sneezing again. “ _ItSHHh….uh_.” 

Atem looks at him with awe for a moment before saying bless you again. “Are you alright, Aibou?” He asks. 

Yugi smiles and nods his head, caressing his chest absentmindedly. Atem is biting his lip. Yugi looks at the placement of his hand, and at Atem’s toned chest and abdomen. His caresses are intentional now, and he puts his other hand on Atem’s hip. Yugi kisses his neck. He kisses a trail down to his boyfriend’s shoulder. For a moment, Atem pulls Yugi in closer, letting out a small moan of arousal. Then, Atem pauses, looks down—biting hard on the inside of his cheek—before he turns the water temperature to cool. 

“Hey!” Yugi cries, watching as the _reasons_ for the temperature change shrink. He coughs, shivering even more. Atem is quick to change the water back to a warmer temperature. 

“Sorry, my light.” Atem says. It’s sincere, but he’s smiling slightly. “You look exhausted. I think we should hold off on such escapades until you’re feeling better.” 

Yugi relents and nods. He sighs. “It’s not every day Grandpa goes out of town for a conference.” His voice is still hoarse and congested.

“It’s not every day that you’re this ill.” Atem says, smirking.

Yugi pouts. “We can be as loud as we want…” He’s more careful to enunciate, and he’s whispering to mask the congestion.

“Aibou, I—” he stammers, “Perhaps if you’re feeling better later…”

After a moment of stupor, Atem grabs body wash and Yugi’s shower brush and begins gently scrubbing his skin. The gentle massage on Yugi’s chest allows him to relax again. Atem helps rinse the lather and cleans his own skin as an afterthought. 

They dry off and change into pajamas. Atem insists that Yugi blow dry his hair right away. Yugi—who had been sitting around with damp hair all day—agrees. Atem towel dries his hair in the background. 

“Let me make you tea.” Atem offers, once they’re both done drying their hair. They go to the kitchen, and Yugi is shivering again. Atem leaves and returns with the throw blanket from the couch and wraps it around Yugi’s shoulders. 

“Thank you.” Yugi says. He easily could fall asleep in this chair. He watches as Atem puts the kettle on. 

“You look exhausted.” Atem says. 

Yugi shrugs. “I think I am. It’s not even dinner time, really.”

Atem’s eyes widen. “ _Ah,_ you haven’t eaten! Are you hungry?” 

“I…don’t really feel hungry.” Yugi says, shrugging. Everything is just sore. All he wants to do is sleep.

Atem looks at him sympathetically. He moves to embrace Yugi, and Yugi just relaxes into the hug. “I think there’s some soup in the fridge,” Atem says. 

“Okay.” Yugi says. Atem goes to microwave the bowl. He remembers to take the saran wrap off this time. He stifles a laugh and disguises it as a cough.

“I’m not going to start a fire this time.” Atem mumbles, obviously aware of Yugi’s train of thought. 

“I know, my king.”

***

Yugi insists on staying up for a few more hours, and they sit on the couch watching whatever cheesy movie is on TV. Atem’s arm is around him, and he feels warm enough under the blanket and next to his partner. He starts coughing again, and Atem asks if Yugi’d like for him to rub his chest with vapor rub. 

“Maybe before bed. I think I’m alright for now.” Yugi mumbles into his shoulder. 

Atem nods. They continue to watch the movie. Then he watches Yugi, as his breathing evens out. He watches as his partner falls asleep, head resting against his chest. He pulls the blanket up more so that it cover’s Yugi’s neck. He plants a kiss on the top of Yugi’s forehead, and then a gentler one on the tip of his nose. 


End file.
